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Steam Dreams 2026

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by GWR7812, Oct 1, 2025.

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  1. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    The contingency point has another facet.

    Let's suppose you have two tenders of 4000 gallons and 5000 gallons; and in either case your standard operating procedures say "plan based on having 1000 gallons in reserve".

    That means you have a useable 3000 and 4000 gallons respectively. So the larger tender on paper looks like it has 25% more capacity but in practice has 33% more range (i.e. useable capacity) between water stops.

    Most discussions about range on NP seem to completely overlook that point.

    Tom
     
    Jamessquared, Dec 19, 2025 at 9:14 PM
    #61
    Romsey, Paul42, 2857Harry and 2 others like this.
  2. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    The other factor that Network Rail isn't bothered about but loco owners care a great deal about is the path that the train runs in. Water (and coal) consumption are dictated by how the locomotive is worked and the extent of stop/start running. Some paths that charters are increasingly given nowadays involve very little continuous running and that makes management of the boiler (and fire) complicated. When DoG ran to Carlisle recently, it was on the move for just over an hour and virtually unchecked. Water was taken and it then ran for a further 70 minutes, unchecked, at a pretty steady pace even though it involved going over Shap. It was an excellent path, the loco was driven efficiently but neither did it hang about. You can't guarantee that most of the time so you have to plan for the worst case scenario with water consumption. In that respect, the larger the water capacity the better. That's why big engines are generally seen as a bonus.
     
    Big Al, Dec 19, 2025 at 11:53 PM
    #62
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